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Trolls
Trolls, often referred to as one of the Wild Races along with Urks and Vargrs, are one of six sentient races in Paledia. Others include humans, elves and dwarves. Trolls are generally larger than any of the other sentient races, the smallest taller than the tallest of humans or elves, the largest towering at one-and-a-half to twice their sizes. They can potentially grow to approximately fifteen feet tall. Trolls are not as intelligent as humans, elves or dwarves, but they have their own language, culture and societal structure. The rebelion is currently led by Tarij Goldhorn, Khagan of the Jaro clan, Khan of the Troll race, Leader of the Troll rebellion Characteristic Trolls are often tall and muscular massive and brutish looking creatures which can potentially grow to approximately fifteen feet tall. The trolls' bodies can support plant life to a limited extent due to a mutation that took place many millennia ago. A thin layer of moss will inevitably grow on the back of a troll shortly after they are born, the moss will give the back of the troll a characteristic green coloring, hunters will often use it as camouflage. The rest of the skin of the Trolls is usally extremely thick and rough textured with purple/gray coloring. Although enough physical damage will kill them, trolls can heal remarkably quickly after consuming alchemical mixtures, even regrowing some lost limbs, though they are inevitably less effective and developed. They heal grievous physical injuries at an accelerated rate, giving them a large advantage in battle. Troll eye colours include blue, brown, red and gold. All trolls are born with brown eyes, depending on their subspecies their eyes change in time, for example, berserkers' eyes receive a red coloring when the troll matures. History Origins Troll history is not as well chronicled as the other races on the continent, but from what humans can gather from records and drawings, it is generally agreed that the first Trolls eastern regions of the continent with the majority of them living in Plains of Valmere historically. However the description of the trolls in the Book of Arakh (which is considered the most historically accurate source for the time) differs a lot from modern day Trolls. This is attributed both to evolution of the Troll species and the general demonization of the Wild Races that is exhibited by early authors. If those authors are to be believed, the early trolls were nomadic beasts who raided early Human settlements for food, cattle and goods, they are described as raiding at night, and stealing while everyone is asleep. These statements however put the credibility of the said authors to question, as the way Trolls are described looks more like a bedtime story, then an accurate description. What is for certain is that the actions of the trolls caused a high level of animosity from early humans, a few decades later there are stories of organized groups of humans hunting and killing Trolls en-mass. It is generally believed that these aggressive actions on the side of Humanity, drove Trolls away from the Plains of Valmere. First Khante The Trolls rise to power began 100 years after their migration when Bumin Khan, uniting the Trolls under his clan's banner. The trolls appear in Chronicles north of modern day Cedrir around 300 years after migration. The Trolls attacked the Elves in the region, who were separated in many tribes and constantly fighting each-other and the local Human groups, who were far less organized then the population of Valmere region. The Trolls started plundering Human and Elvish settlements. Despite the trolls' attempts to keep them from expanding their territories and counter attacking, the Humans and Elves soon turned their attention towards the the settlements belonging to the Khante. The trolls fought the Humans and Elves for many thousands of years but never succeeded in winning a true victory over them. Eventually, due to the elves' persistence, the Khante split in half as its citizens fled to separate settlements in the far Northern and Southern regions of the continent. Two Troll tribal-states then emerged. The Decline The northern trolls' settled deep into the frozen tundra that is the north, between the extreme temperatures and natural predators, they evolved extremely thick hides, white fur and even greater strength than their predecessors, however the increase in strength came at a price, the Northern Trolls' intelligence progressively decreased with each generation, until they reached the level of near savagery. Meanwhile as tribal rivalries erupted throughout the former Khante, the southern tribes found themselves driven from their second homeland. Having settled in what are believed today to be Oldlyn, the tribe soon found themselves entangled in a conflict with a band of humans. They adopted a nomadic lifestyle, constantly raiding humans and then moving out before the Humans can organize a counter attack. This was not to last, as the troll population was too large to be constantly on the move. The tribes found a swampy area west of Cedrir that was protected and isolated enough for them to settle in, they would face attacks from human raiders from time to time, but all and all the location was perfect. There the Trolls finally managed to create a peaceful society and for 100 years it seemed to be final, alas their their past caught up to them. Slavery As Emperor Therid I's Wars of Conquest raged, the twin Troll civilizations evaded the enslavement initially, many humans lacked knowledge of their locations, those that knew where the Trolls are, lacked the ability to do more than just raids. However once Therid had established solid control over the areas around the Troll homelands, he turned his gaze to the wild races, one of which was the isolationist Troll civilization. It was a matter of time before the humans gathered a large enough expedition to attack and enslave the wood trolls, unsuspecting the wood troll tribes where quickly taken down, many killed in a horrific slaughter. A single tribe managed to escape only to fall into an ambush on the other side of the forest, resulting it its capture. The huge creatures where quickly put to work as heavy duty manual labour, the women became nothing more than stock for breeding more trolls. A few decades later, subjugation came to the northern Trolls, who proved to be even better suited for manual labor. The Theridan Empire set up large work camps and breeding programs, creating different Troll subspecies suited for different tasks. Revolt Sometime after the subjugation, a young Troll managed to escape from his cruel human master at the Oldlyn labor camp and set out to find the rest of his clan, that was considered lost. In his travels he encountered Ojin Khagan, who along with his Ferra Clan had been hiding out in the frozen steppes in hopes of another chance at freedom. The young troll, who would later be known as Tarij Khan , became friends with Ojin, and eventually met Gora Boyar, who had escaped from the humans' prison several years before. From Gora he learned that the Jaro clan, the clan he belonged to was still holding off, hidden away far south, hiding along the forests that are found near the shores of the narrow sea. After learning this, Tarij made his way to the Jaro clan's territories, where the shaman Thar taught him about the trolls' noble heritage and how they had been enslaved by humans. Tarij swore to free his people from the chains that bound them. Together with Ojin and Gora, Tarij successfully launched attack after attack against the labour camps to free the captive Trolls. It was difficult to rouse the Trolls from their lethargy, but Tarij was able to prove to them that their destiny was not yet at its end, and the clans rallied behind the new Khan. The extremely small numbers of free trolls swelled with the new recruits from the taken camps; soon most of the troll camps near the city of Oldlyn had fallen. Unfortunately, during the attack on the last internment camp, Gora was struck down. In tribute to the fierce and proud troll, Tarij donned Gora's black armor and the hammer which bore his name to lead his people from their captivity. Culture Troll society has always been characterised by hardy and rugged living. As a result they are staunch pragmatists, and never shy from killing if it will protect the future of the Troll or his clan. Trolls are very isolated beings. Most trolls, excluding a few tribes, don't speak any of the common languages. They are highly tribally spiritual. The center of a tribe's spirit is the tribe's shaman or superior hunter. Though the Trolls are peaceful nomads in nature, their faith of falling under slavery after achieving peace has lead their society to adopt a more aggressive stance, which can basically be summed up by the words "Never again". Yet regardless of their actions, Trolls prize honor over all other things in life — first to bring honor to their clan and secondly bringing honor to the self. Likewise, hospitality is considered one of the greatest honors that can be bestowed. The Urks and Trolls have become allies because the Urks gladly offered the Trolls shelter in the southern region, as well as helping them destroy the dreaded Human work camps.Troll Culture is concerned with survival over artistic achievement, and as such lacks appreciation of any works of art. It is know for the extensive revering of its elderly and honoring of its ancestors, even going as far as never apologizing for past actions. But on another hand, Troll culture never demands apologies for anything and as such, Trolls are seen as brutal and savage on the battlefield, taking no prisoners or accepting any excuses. Trolls are not known for extensive cunningness, as their culture values the honor and successes of an individual in a straight fight over his cunning actions behind the scenes, maybe because of that cultural trait Trolls are open creatures, hypocrisy is a rare phenomena in troll society. Faith The troll faith teaches that all creatures and some objects have souls or spirits. They believe that plant-spirits, nature-spirits and earth-spirits exist, and that everyone must treat these spirits with respect. One who denies the reality of nature spirits severs his connection with the earth. The meaning of life is seen as living in harmony with the surrounding world. Trolls view their existence as sustained by the eternal blue Sky, Tangra, the fertile Mother-Earth, spirit Exa and a ruler who is regarded as the holy spirit of the Sky. Heaven, Earth, the spirits of nature and the ancestors provide every need and protect all Trolls. By living an upright and respectful life, a Troll will keep his world in balance. This connection manifests in a deeply animistic culture, where druids and shamans stand side by side with warriors and hunters. Trolls do not see a separation between the veneration of nature and the hunt; to hunt is to honor the spirits of nature. However the peaceful religion takes a turn for the worst when it comes to killing enemies in a battle, the Trolls consider that after death, an enemy’s spirit can visit misfortune on its killer. By consuming the flesh of their enemies, trolls believe they can also consume their enemy’s spirit, or at least damage it enough to render it impotent. Following this belief, Trolls will take time to consume the sapient creatures they have defeated in battle, in a ritual that is viewed by other races as savage and brutal. Society Troll society is based on violence and domination. The head of a tribe holds his position through sheer brute strength. Any member of the clan can challenge the leader to a battle to the death. The victor of this duel is declared the new ruler. This Troll often takes to decorating himself garishly with whatever stolen armor and weapons he can get his hands on. Loot in a Troll clan is distributed by whoever can defend their claim. Thus, the strongest members are usually easily identified by their better armaments. These stronger Trolls are known as Boyars and act as the aristocracy of the Troll clans, the clan is usually led by a Khagan, which is the highest rank in Troll society, after the Khan. The Khan is the supreme leader of the entire race, only a single Khan has existed in history, while many have claimed the position. Tarij Khan has been given the rank of Khan by his followers, but he has yet to prove his leadership over the entire race and free them from their captivity. Names The language of the Trolls is often harsh and low sounding, which is reflected in the names of their children. The last name of a Troll is usually a family name, handed down through the generations. If the Troll has performed some act that has made an impression on the Boyars of his tribe, however, he may choose to take on his own last name to commemorate that act. Troll have several names. They receive a name at birth and another during a ceremony to celebrate reaching adulthood. This adult name describes some event in their lives or some notable individual characteristic: for instance, Blackhide, Earthborn, Hidemaker, Riverwatcher or Scar. That is a rule applied to the lower ranking Trolls, the Boyars will put their ranks in the place of their second name. Category:Races